The Centaur opens with descriptions of a man and a horse moving over a riverbed and looking for a hiding place to sleep in as the day breaks. As the description continues, it quickly becomes obvious that the horse and the man are one mythical creature, the centaur, whose body consists of the head and chest of a man and the body and legs of a horse. After pausing to drink from a stream, the centaur finds a good spot to rest and sleep among some trees. As the centaur lies down to sleep, it struggles, since sustaining a comfortable position for both the man and the horse throughout the night is not possible.

Although the horse half falls asleep right away, the man lies awake for a while before falling asleep and beginning to dream. At this point in the story, the narrative shifts...